The Grapevine
by DreamWvr73
Summary: MacGyver and Gillian are subject torumors about their relationship...


MacGyver was whistling as he walked into his best friend's office. The Director of Operations was behind his desk working. Pete was surprised to see how cheerful his friend was.

"Well someone is in a good mood this morning, so what's the occasion?"

MacGyver shrugged as he sat down in a leather chair in front of Pete's desk. "No occasion."

Pete eyed his friend suspiciously. "Uh huh."

"What? Can't a guy be cheerful for no reason?"

"No, there is always a reason."

The phone on Pete's desk buzzed loudly. _"Mr. Thornton?"_

Pete pressed the intercom button. "Yes Sandra what is it?"

_"Gillian is here to see you."_

"All right send her in."

The door opened and Gillian came into the office. She was wearing a short sleeveless dress; it was white with tiny blue flowers. "Good Morning Gentlemen."

Pete smiled at her. "Good Morning Gillian, and may I say you look very nice this morning."

Gillian smiled and looked at Pete's black suit. "Thank you Pete, so do you."

She turned and gave MacGyver a small smile and he returned it. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Pete cleared his throat and she turned back and looked at him. "No not at all, you know my door is always open for you."

Gillian had a folder in her hands. "Last night Jim Pringle came by my office and dropped off his report. You were already gone so I decided to drop it by first thing this morning."

"Thank you." Pete took the folder and looked at the report. "So all the London artifacts are ready to go to the Edinburgh museum?"

"Whenever you give the approval."

"You've got it, tell Jim to pack them up and ship them out."

"All right, I'll let him know, thanks Pete."

"Sure."

Gillian got her folder back and turned around; she smiled at MacGyver and gave him a wink as she left the room.

Gillian was working in her office; she had kicked off her heels and was in her bare feet. She was looking at her computer screen, her office door opened and MacGyver walked in.

"Hi."

She smiled when she saw who it was. "Hi."

"Busy?" He walked over to her desk and sat down its edge.

"Not for you."

He craned his neck and looked at her screen. "What are you working on?"

"Just going over my department's budget figures; Pete asked me to check them over before he presents it to the board members."

"How's it going?"

"Fine, so far everything is correct."

"Good." Mac was looking down at her desk. Gillian was watching him; she got up from her chair and stood in front of him. He looked up at her and smiled. "What are we doing for lunch?"

She shrugged her shoulders and put her arms around his neck. "Oh I don't know." She closed her eyes and kissed him gently. "Got any ideas?"

MacGyver put his arms around her waist; he drew her closer to him. "Actually I do, I think we should take Pete to lunch and tell him about us."

This was a little bit of a surprise to Gillian. "You want to tell Pete?"

"I think we should."

Gillian thought about it for a moment and nodded. "You're right, let's tell him."

The restaurant that threesome had chosen was called Graham's. It was an outdoor restaurant that resembled more of a sidewalk café then a restaurant. The whole front of the building was nothing but a sea of bright white and yellow umbrellas. They chose a small table tucked away in the corner, insuring they had a lot of privacy. It was a beautiful spring day, bright and sunny, but the umbrella provided a wonderfully cool shade that made being outdoors more pleasant.

"This was a great idea." Pete smiled widely as he picked up his menu and looked at it. "I've always wanted to try this place."

Gillian looked at her menu and nodded. "So have I, I heard they have great food."

"Let's hope the prices aren't great." MacGyver was scanning the wide selection of food; he looked at the prices and found them to be within reason.

Gillian peered over the top of her green menu at MacGyver; he gave her a little nod. She decided what she wanted and closed her menu. She had a sip of her ice tea and cleared her throat. "Pete, MacGyver and I had a little bit of an ulterior motive when we asked you to lunch."

Pete moved his menu down. "Oh?" He looked at Mac and then back at Gillian. "What motive?"

"You see, there is, I mean." She took a deep breath and looked at Mac. "This is harder than I thought."

MacGyver closed his menu and set it aside; he reached out and touched Gillian's hand. "What Gillian is trying to say is that we have something to tell you."

Pete's eyes grew wide when he saw the two of them holding hands. "I think I know what that something is."

Gillian felt her face flush; she turned her head away from Pete for a moment. "We wanted to tell you before you heard it through the grapevine."

Pete nodded. "I can understand that." He looked at MacGyver. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"

MacGyver laughed a little and smiled. "Since we got back from London."

Gillian squeezed his hand. "Well actually Mac it was while we were _in London."_

"Right."

Pete's face grew serious and he set his menu down. He saw how his two friends seemed very happy with each other; it was something he was glad to see, especially for MacGyver.  "I am very happy for you both and I am honored that you consider me a good enough friend to confide in."

Gillian reached out and placed her hand on top of Pete's. "You _are a good friend Pete, to both of us. That's why we felt that we owed you the truth before you heard some lie drifting around the water cooler."_

Pete patted her hand. "Thank you Gillian, that means a lot to me." He let go of her hand and picked his menu back up. "Well now that you've we've got that out of the way, let's eat."

Gillian yawned widely and blinked at her computer screen a few times, her eyes were getting tired. She was just finishing up the budget figures and saving them on a disk. It was almost 7 o'clock and she turned her chair away from the door and rubbed her neck. A pair of hands touched hers and she gasped and turned around, she saw it was MacGyver.

"You scared me to death."

"Sorry." He started massaging her neck and Gillian closed her eyes, he was working out all the tightness in her muscles.

"That feels heavenly Mac, you give a great massage."

"You should see what I can do for your back." He stopped rubbing her neck and gently moved her hair aside; he started kissing the left side of her neck. Gillian sighed; she reached back and touched his head.

"I take it back, _that feels heavenly."_

MacGyver stopped what he was doing and turned her chair around. "So what are we doing tonight?"

Gillian shrugged. "We can do whatever you want; we can go eat out or stay home and cook."

Mac took her by the hands and pulled her out of her chair. "How about we just stay home and order something in?"

She put her arms around his waist. "Sounds good, can I nibble on your neck for dessert?"

Mac started to laugh. "No you can't nibble on my neck for dessert; I was going to nibble on yours."

Gillian shook her head and started to laugh. "Come on, let's get out of here."

The couple was in front of the fireplace in Gillian's living room, nearby was two plates and the box that contained the remains of the vegetable pizza they had ordered. They were lying on a blanket staring at the fire, they were watching the reddish orange flames as they danced and moved across the log. Gillian sighed, she was leaning her head on MacGyver's chest.

"Why did you sigh like that?"

Gillian lifted her head and looked down at him; she leaned forward and kissed him. "Because I'm happy, that's why."

MacGyver smiled at her and touched the end of her little button nose. "Are you really?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes I am."

He lifted his head and brushed his lips against hers, he put his arms around her neck. Their kiss ended and Mac moved his hand up her cheek. "Am I the reason you're so happy?"

Gillian touched the hand that was on her face. "Yes, you are."

Mac could see her eyes; the light from the fire was making them shine. He also saw a question in them.  "You make me happy too Gillian, very happy."

"I'm glad, I want to make you happy, I think we both deserve it."

"We sure do, and it's about time we were." MacGyver yawned; he rubbed his hand over his eyes. "I wonder what time it is."

She looked down at his wrist. "Your watch says that its 11 30."

"11 30? I had no idea it was so late." Gillian moved away from him so he could get up, he sat up and yawned again.

"Mac it's late, why don't you just stay here?"

He thought about how they had slept in the same bed in London, there was no hanky panky involved and Mac couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well. "All right, I'll stay."

Gillian got on her feet and stretched out her hand. "Come on, let's hit the hay."

He took her hand and she pulled him to his feet. 

The master bedroom that Gillian slept in was big and located at the far end of the house. The bedroom was not decorated in Egyptology the way the rest of the house was, instead it was decorated in Southwest style. The walls were a dark beige color; on the floor was a Navajo rug with various symbols of the Southwest and Indian tribes. She had a painting of village life that hung above her bed, which was covered in a dark red comforter that seemed to go well with the rug on the floor. There were a pair of nightstands on either side of the bed; both of them had beautiful pottery decorated with feathers and beads.

"Wow, I like the way you have your room decorated." MacGyver sat down on the bed and started to untie his boots.

"Thanks, there is some Cherokee Indian on my mother's side, her grandfather was pure blooded."

"I remember that picture on your desk; your mother had blond hair."

"I know, she always kept it blond, she always said that there is no such thing as a California Indian so she bleached her hair to blend in well with the natives."

He took off his boots and watched her for a moment; she was getting her pajamas out of her dresser. "I can see the Indian in you, your eyes, your cheekbones."

Gillian closed the dresser drawer. "I've often thought of what my great grandfather would have thought about my abilities."

"He probably would have said that you were a Shaman."

"Maybe." She went into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom to change into her nightgown.

Mac took off his shirt. "Gillian, do you have any sweats?"

She came out of the bathroom wearing a sleeveless pink nightgown that went to her knees, when she saw Mac without his shirt she turned away, but not before she got a good gander. "What did you ask?"

He saw that her back was turned, she was giving him privacy and her consideration touched him. "Gillian, it's okay, I'm not naked or anything."

"Well you are half naked."

"True but it's the top half not the bottom half, you can look."

Gillian turned around, her face was pink, Mac started to laugh. "Are you blushing?"

"No." She tried to wipe the flush out her cheeks.

"You are, you are blushing." He was only in his light blue jeans; he came up to her and hugged her.

"I am not."

"If you aren't blushing why is your face red?"

She put her arms around his bare waist and hugged him. "Because."

"Because why?"

She leaned back and looked at him. "Because I like what I see."

Now it was MacGyver's turn to blush, his cheeks turned a little red and Gillian grinned. "Aha now who is the one blushing?"

Mac shook his head. "Okay, you got me on that one."

Gillian reached up and touched his face. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you but I was only telling the truth, you are a _very handsome man Mac, both inside and out."_

MacGyver sighed and gave her another hug. "When the time is right, I'll show you the rest of my outsides."

Gillian leaned her head against his bare chest. "When the time is right, I'll show you mine too."

"But in the meantime, do you have any sweats I can borrow?"

"I think I have a pair of two, they are pretty baggy on me so they should fit you just right." She let go of him and went over to her dresser, she took out a pair of blue sweats. "Here try these."

Mac caught the sweats she tossed him and started to unbuckle his belt, Gillian was there watching and he laughed. "Gillian…"

"Oh." She turned her back to him and snapped her fingers. "Rats, I was hoping to get a free show."

"You will, but not yet. You can turn back around now."

Gillian did and smiled, the sweats were a perfect fit. "Hey they fit great."

Mac looked down at himself. "Well the legs are a little short but that's okay. Got any shirts?"

"I don't think so, I have t-shirts but I'm pretty sure they are too small."

"Well then I guess I'll just have to sleep without one."

"You'll get no objections from me."

Gillian went to her side of the bed and peeled back the comforter and sheet. "Are you ready to go to sleep?"

Mac peeled back his side and sat down on the edge; he yawned and rubbed his hands over his face. "Yeah I'm beat."

She got into bed and pulled the covers to her waist. "Me too." 

Mac swung his legs around and laid down, as soon as he was horizontal Gillian scooted closer to him, she turned her back to him. "Comfy?"

He turned on his left side and put his arm across her waist; he lifted his head and kissed her cheek. "Night Gillian."

She moved away from him and turned over; she gave him a deep kiss. "Night Mac."

She turned back around and sighed, the feel of him against her was warm and soothing; she knew it would take no time at all to fall asleep.

During the course of the next two months, things between MacGyver and Gillian continued as they were, with one small difference, Mac was spending more and more time at Gillian's house. He would only return to his houseboat for changes of clothes and to check his mail. It was getting to the point that if Pete needed to find him, he didn't even bother calling the houseboat, he would dial Gillian's number directly. Things were also changing at the Phoenix Foundation, there were a few retirements and Pete now had the fun task of finding a new department head for Research and a couple of engineers for the Engineering department. Pete and MacGyver were in Pete's office looking over a huge stack of resumes. The massive pile was divided in half and Mac was sitting on Pete's black leather could going over his half.

"What exactly are we looking for in a new head of Research Pete; it would make getting through these resumes a lot easier."

Pete moved his pile aside so he could see his friend. "Someone who would fit well with Phoenix Mac, you have been here long enough to know what that is."

MacGyver sighed as he picked up another resume, after a few moments he would set it aside and pick up a new one. "How's it going with your half?"

"Not too well, I'm afraid I have found only a few that I think would do good."

"Same here, who's going over the Engineer resumes?"

"Oh I've got Baker handling that."

Mac picked up the few resumes he had chosen and walked over to his friend's desk. "Baker? Why do you have him going over resumes?"

"Let me see what you've got there." Pete took the papers from Mac and started looking them over. "Because I made him the temporary head until we can hire a new one."

"Baker, isn't he the chemical Engineer?"

"Right, that is also part of the reason I have him looking at resumes, that's one of the Engineers we need."

There was a knock on the door and Pete didn't even look up. "Come in."

Gillian came in carrying a magazine. "Hi Pete sorry to interrupt your searching, but I think I have found the new head of Research."

Pete looked up at her. "Really who?"

Gillian opened the magazine to a page she had marked and handed it to him. "His name is Dr. Scott Randolph; he is a scientist out of MIT."

MacGyver recognized the name immediately. "I've heard of him, he is considered an enemy by every oil company out there."

Pete began reading the article, it was about how Dr. Randolph was an Environmentalist that had not only worked for such organizations as Green Peace but was also on a special committee of world wide scientists that NATO had formed in order to find a solution to the fossil fuel problem. "Hmmm this is interesting."

"I know, I think he would fit nicely here at Phoenix, after all we are very environment conscious and that is exactly what he is looking for, someone that cares about the world around him as much as he does."

"I think he sounds perfect, think he will accept?"

Gillian nodded. "Actually I think he will, he wants to save the world and working here would be a very good place to start."

Pete smiled and shook his head. "All right I'll contact the Doctor and see what he says."

MacGyver sighed. "Hopefully he'll say yes, I'm tired of going over resumes."

"Me too, I've gone over so many they are even in my sleep."

Gillian looked at the large pile on his desk. "I can see why, maybe you should take a break."

"I think I will, but I have to check to see how Baker is doing, he should have a chosen a few candidates by now." Pete picked up his phone and stared dialing.

Gillian casually walked over to MacGyver; she put her arms around his waist. "And what about you? Are there resumes invading your dreams too?"

Mac shook his head. "Nope, just visions of a beautiful woman with red hair."

Gillian smiled. "Oh? And just who is this woman?"

"I think you know the answer to that." He leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the lips. 

Pete hung up the phone and the couple parted ways, they were now standing side by side. "Well that was Baker, he said he has chosen three people he wants me to interview."

MacGyver shook his head. "Why should you be the one doing the interviews?"

"Well after all Mac I am the Director of Operations; the board will go with whoever I recommend for the job so in a way it really is up to me."

Gillian nodded. "Right, when I had my interview it was with Pete."

"So when are you going to start the interviews?"

Pete leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to go over the resumes he chose and make some calls, so the interviews will probably start next week."

Gillian was sitting at her desk, she was going over the itinerary for her New Mexico dig that was only a little over a month away. There were many things to go over, personnel, equipment, location, the list was long and she was concentrating deeply, so deeply that she didn't hear the door open and someone walk in.

"Gillian?"

This startled the young woman; she looked up and saw MacGyver standing in front of her desk. "Sorry Mac I didn't hear you come in, I guess I was absorbed in my itinerary."

"For Santa Fe right?"

"Right." She set the list down on her desk. "It takes a lot of planning to go dig a few holes."

"Am I invited along on this little trip?"

"Of course, that is unless Pete has other plans for you."

MacGyver picked up the list and looked over it. "Well you know there is one way to solve that."

"How?"

"Invite him along."

Both of Gillian's eyebrows went up. "Really? Are you serious?"

"Totally, Pete does more than just shuffle papers. He used to be a very active DXS agent, he has field experience."

Gillian sat back in her chair. "Well to tell you the truth I would like for both of you to be there."

"So go ask him, I'm sure if you give him plenty of time he can clear his schedule."

"I can't right now Mac he's starting the interviews for those Engineers today."

"But not until this afternoon."

Gillian got up from her chair. "Stay right here."

"Well I see from your resume you have a degree from UCLA."

The medium height man with jet black hair nodded, he was standing in front of Pete's desk wearing a blue pin stripe suit.  "Yes, as a matter of fact I am getting my doctorate from there as well."

There was a small knock on the door and Gillian walked in. "Pete I just wanted to …" She saw the back of someone. "Oh I'm sorry I had no idea there was someone here."

Pete stood up. "That's fine Gillian; in fact I want you to meet someone."

She was terribly embarrassed, as she walked into the room. "Sure."

Pete extended his hand. "This is Gillian MacKenzie; she is head of our Archaeology Department." 

The man Pete was talking to turned around and when Gillian saw who it was she nearly dropped like a stone, her eyes grew huge. "Oh my God."

Michael Pershing was standing there looking almost exactly the same as he did the last time Gillian saw him, which was 8 years ago. "Hello Gillian, how are you?"

Gillian's mouth was suddenly filled with cotton, it was totally dry. The shock of seeing him quickly wore off, replaced with anger. "Hello Michael." Her eyes grew cold as she looked at him. "If you both will excuse me I have work to do."

Pete's brow creased, he noticed the sudden chill that invaded the air. He also saw the face that the head of the Archaeology Department was making. "Sure Gillian, of course."

The young woman did an about face and left the office.

MacGyver was sitting in Gillian's chair; he had his feet up on her desk waiting for her to come back. The door opened and he swung the chair around.

"It's about time I was getting-"

He saw the look on her face. "Gillian?"

She walked into the office, holding her stomach. "Mac…"

He was out of the chair in flash and he led her to the couch and sat her down. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Gillian hissed through her teeth, she was getting stabbing pains in her stomach; she had her hand across the mid section of her blue ribbed shirt. "My stomach, it hurts badly."

"Why?" He crouched down and helped her stretch out on the couch. "What are you picking up?" They had been together long enough for Mac to recognize that her stomach pains were not caused by indigestion or illness, he knew she was sensing something that didn't agree with her.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "Michael…he's in Pete's office right now."

MacGyver's jaw hit the ground. "Michael Pershing?"

Gillian nodded slowly. "He's one of the Engineer's that Pete is interviewing."

Pete walked into the office and saw Gillian lying on her couch. "Gillian are you all right?"

Mac looked up at him. "Michael Pershing is one of the Engineers you are interviewing today?"

The stout man saw concern and anger at the same time in his friend's dark eyes. "Yeah I just left him to come check on Gillian, she didn't look good when she was in my office."

"Yeah well he's the reason."

Pete walked over to the couch and got down on one knee, he looked at her chalky face. "What? Pershing did this?"

Gillian licked her lips. "He is from my past Pete, from a very painful period in my life that he was the cause of. I haven't seen him in 8 years."

Pete reached out and touched her forehead. "Is she sick?"

MacGyver shook his head. "No, she's not sick."

"Then what is it?"

Gillian took a deep breath; the pain was starting to fade. "I was getting stabbing pains in my stomach."

Pete nodded slowly, there were some things about Gillian's abilities that he still didn't understand but he knew that her feelings were something to take into serious consideration. "Do you want to go home? Mac can take you home."

Gillian shook her head. "No, it's starting to pass. I think it was mostly the shock of seeing him just standing there in your office after so many years. A bunch of feelings and emotions came flooding back, and it was too much for my abilities to handle."

MacGyver sighed, he was not happy that Michael Pershing was interviewing for a job at Phoenix. "I can see why they would react that way." 

The pain was finally gone and Gillian slowly sat up. "Wow that was a bad attack; I haven't had one of those since I was in college." 

"I think you should take it easy for a moment, all right?"

"Mac's right Gillian, just take it slow, and why was it that you came by my office?"

Gillian had totally forgotten about it. "I wanted to ask if you would come to Santa Fe with me next month."

Pete was surprised. "You want me to go?"

Gillian was sitting between the two kneeling men; she reached out and put her arm across the shoulders of both men. "Actually I want _both of you to come; I think it will be a lot of fun."_

"I don't know what to say Gillian, I'm flattered."

She smiled at her Boss. "Say you'll come."

Pete knew that with Mac there was no question, he thought about it for a moment and nodded. "All right, I'll come."

Pete went back to his office and Gillian slowly got off the couch, her knees still felt a little rubbery as she walked around. Mac got up from the floor and sat down on the couch. "You're worried about Michael being here aren't you?"

Gillian stopped her pacing; she crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her face. "Of all the places in this big world he could show up, why did it have to be here?"

MacGyver swallowed hard, the man that Gillian loved a long time ago was suddenly back, there were a lot of things going through his mind. "What did he say when he saw you?"

"He asked how I was, like we were old friends."

"In a way you are Gillian."

"Ha! He is nothing but an old nightmare to me."

Gillian sighed heavily and sat down beside MacGyver; she reached out and turned his chin so she could see his face. "I know his sudden reappearance has you worried, don't be, okay?"

MacGyver leaned forward and kissed her, touching his forehead to hers. "Okay."

A few days later Gillian was in her office, she was typing out a letter when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in."

The door opened and in walked Michael, dressed in a navy blue suit with matching silk tie. "Good Afternoon Miss MacKenzie."

The typing stopped and Gillian turned her chair around to the front of her desk. She saw that handsome face and it made her cringe. "It _was a good afternoon, but how quickly things can change, what do you want?"_

Michael smiled at her; he still looked pretty much the same as he did 8 years, still had those beautiful green eyes. "I came to see you Gilly."

The mention of that nickname only made Gillian angry. "My name is Gillian, I never liked it when you called me Gilly when we were in college and I don't like it now, Gillian is my name, okay?"

Michael put his hands up. "Okay, Gillian, you have my humblest apologies."

Gillian scoffed and shook her head. "Michael you couldn't be humble if you tried." Her voice was full of hostility and was as warm as a glacier.

Michael sat down on the edge of her desk. "Do you think you could can all the hostility?"

Gillian laughed. "You want me to can my hostility? I'm afraid that isn't going to happen I've got 8 years worth of repressed hostility that is just dying to come out. You said you wanted to see me and now you have, I think its time for you to go. You remember how to do that don't you Michael? You just get up and walk away, just like you did 8 years ago."

Michael sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "So that's why you are so hostile to me, it's because of what happened in college."

"Give the man a cigar! And they say Engineers are only smart on paper."

Michael scowled, that last remark upset him. "That was a long time ago Gillian, we were just a couple of kids."

"That's right we were, but that still doesn't change the fact that I was in love with you Michael." She got up from her chair and sighed, a lot of old pain was coming back to her. "And you just got up and walked away and never looked back. That hurt me a lot, and every time I saw you and you pretended you didn't see me or turned around and walked in the other direction, that only added to the pain."

Michael got up from the desk; he stood behind her and touched her arms. "I know what I did was wrong Gillian, I was horrible to you and I'm sorry that I caused you so much pain. I was just a stupid 20 year old kid that didn't know how lucky he was until it was too late."

"I gave you so much Michael, my love, a whole year of my life, I even gave you something I could never give to another man, and you said it was nothing, that I was nothing."

Michael turned her around. "Yes you did and believe it or not I loved you too, and I still do."

Gillian shook her head; she couldn't believe how much nerve he had. "You think you can just come here and charm me back into your bed? You had your chance and it's gone, I'm with someone now, you are too late." 

"Oh that's right, I had heard you were with MacGyver, I was down in the lunchroom and heard some of the secretaries talking." 

Gillian saw the way he was smiling, that small little smirk of his made her realize that MacGyver was the reason for that condescending face. "How dare you judge him."

"I didn't say a word Gillian."

"You didn't have to! I know that look; you think he is some low class guy that isn't fit to shine your expensive shoes!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

She pushed him away from her. "Don't give me that Michael you always _did put a lot into a person's pedigree and social standing. I can see that obviously hasn't changed."_

Michael laughed, finally admitting that she was right. "Come on Gillian, he's a nobody, what do you see in him? He has probably had his way with every woman that works here and now obviously you are his next target. I heard those girls talking; MacGyver is nothing more than a big tomcat."

Gillian drew her arm back and slapped him as hard as she could. "Don't you _ever say another bad thing about MacGyver in my presence do you understand? You have no right to run off at the mouth about him."_

Michael was totally floored that she had slapped him. He took a handkerchief out and gently dabbed his nose, there was a little bit of blood coming from it. "You can hit me as many times as you want Gillian, that doesn't change the fact that I still love you. Obviously we were meant to be together, otherwise I never would have found my way back to you."

"As far as I am concerned Michael you can keep walking. You said it yourself a long time ago; we are nothing, then and now."

Michael reached out and put both hands on her bare arms. "Please Gillian; I know I still mean something to you, deep down I don't think you ever stopped loving me."

Gillian wiggled out of his grip. "That's where you are wrong Michael."

She walked around him and over to her door, she opened it. "Get out, and don't come back."

Michael tucked his handkerchief into his pocket. "I'll be here a few more days to finish with my interview; I'm staying at the Regency, room 415." He looked at her once before walking out of the door, she slammed it behind him. 

MacGyver was down in the lunch room, he was sitting at a table reading a magazine article about Dr. Scott Randolph. He had an apple in his hand and was munching on it.

"Is this seat taken?"

Mac looked up from the article and saw Michael Pershing standing in front of him with a lunch tray in his hands. "No, have a seat."

Michael's nose was still a little red and Mac noticed it right away, it looked like he had been slugged. He wondered if maybe that little present was from Gillian. The fancy suited man set his tray down and pulled out the chair. "This is a very nice lunch room, they have a wide variety of food and the décor is so nice."

Mac could tell that he was just making small talk. The lunch room of the Phoenix Foundation was lacking in décor, everything was white and there were a few pictures of Los Angeles framed on the walls but that was all. "Yeah it's nice."

Michael took his napkin and tucked into his collar. "How is the food?"

"Good." He took another bite of his apple.

"It looks good." Michael had chosen a club sandwich for lunch, it came with a side of potato salad. He picked up his fork and started to eat.

Gillian had told MacGyver a few things about her old flame and now here he was, Mac began to wonder if his sudden appearance was more than just a coincidence. "Michael, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, MacGyver."

Mac closed his magazine and set it aside. "What are you doing here?"

"Eating my lunch."

"No I mean here at Phoenix." Mac could see that Michael knew exactly what he meant.

Michael cleared his throat and dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin. "Looking for a new job."

MacGyver nodded, it was a good answer but not the right one. "Now tell me the truth, what are you up to?"

Michael's green eyes turned fiery, he took the napkin out of his collar and set it down on the table. "I see you are a man that does not beat around the bush."

The look on Mac's face was serious and at the same time a little dangerous, like a lion about to pounce. "No, I'm not one for dancing around things, especially when it comes to Gillian."

"You care about her a great deal don't you?"

"Maybe, but that really isn't any of your business, now is it?"

Michael pushed his tray aside. "Let us be honest with each other MacGyver. You're right, I do have another reason for coming back to LA, I came back for Gillian. What happened between us all those years ago was something I never forgot. She is the one that got away and I intend to get her back and there is nothing you can do about it."

MacGyver was trying very hard to keep his temper under control, but those words set it loose. He stood up fast, grabbing Mr. Fancy Pants by the collar; he hauled him up out of his chair. The men were nose to nose. "Now you listen to me, what happened between the two of you is over and done with.  She's moved on and happy and the last thing she needs is for you to mess up her life again." His voice was cold and angry; his sudden outburst of temper got the attention of everyone in the lunch room.

Michael shook his head. "You just don't have it MacGyver, she will _never love you. You are a poor blue collar schlep, what can you possibly offer her besides the contents of your pants?"_

"You are wrong Michael; you are the one that doesn't have it."

"No, I'm not wrong, is that what bothers you MacGyver? The fact that I can give her the life she deserves and you can give her only empty promises on a meager salary."

"The only thing that bothers me Michael is your presence."

Michael pushed MacGyver back and punched him; Mac recovered quickly and slugged him right in the nose. The two men grabbed each other and started grappling; they fell against the table and sent it over on its side, taking them with it.  The two men crashed to the floor, Michael was on his feet first and he grabbed Mac by the collar. He hit him a few times in his stomach and then right crossed him, sending him through the plate glass door of the lunch room. MacGyver was on all fours, the glass had cut his cheek, Michael stood over him and started to kick him in the ribs.

"You see! I am clearly the superior one here MacGyver, just give it up, you'll never win, she'll come crawling back to me and leave you in the dust!"

Mac got up, his arms and face were bleeding but he charged at Michael, hitting him in the gut. The two men hit the ground and started rolling around.

"Oh my God!" Gillian came into the lunch room and saw the shattered door and the two men, Michael had the upper hand and was straddling MacGyver's chest, he was punching him. Gillian went over to Michael and shoved him. "Get off of him!" Michael stopped what he was doing; he was out of breath as he moved off of MacGyver.

"He started it!" Michael's nose was bleeding again.

MacGyver was bleeding from the glass and the cut on his cheek. Gillian crouched down and touched his face. "Mac, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." He was out of breath too and it hurt to breathe, Gillian helped him sit up.

"What is going on here?"

Gillian looked up and saw Pete come into the lunchroom, he looked extremely angry. She was pretty furious herself as she stood up. "He was beating up MacGyver!"

Pete saw his bleeding friend. "Is this true Michael?"

Michael adjusted his tie; he wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand. "We had a little disagreement."

Gillian took a handkerchief out of her jeans pocket and pressed it Mac's bleeding cheek, she helped him stand up. 

"I want to know who threw the first punch."

Michael pointed at MacGyver. "He hit me first."

Pete looked at all of the people that had witnessed the fight. "Did MacGyver throw the first punch?"

Pete's secretary Sandra was a young woman in her early twenties. She had short blond hair and had been eating lunch with all of her friends. "Mr.Thornton?"

She was standing behind Pete and he turned around. "Yes Sandra."

The young blond woman dressed in a denim skirt and matching top shook her head. "He's wrong, MacGyver didn't throw the first punch, he did."

Pete nodded. "Thank you Sandra."

Gillian glanced at Michael coldly before putting an arm around MacGyver. "Pete, I'm going to take Mac to my office."

"Go ahead Gillian; I'll be there as soon as I take care of something."

Gillian helped MacGyver into her office and laid him down on her couch. She went to her desk and opened the last drawer, there was a good sized First-Aid kit in it.

"What happened in the lunchroom Mac? Why were the two of you slugging each other?" She sat down on the edge of the couch and opened the kit; she took out the peroxide and some gauze.

"Long story Gillian."

"Well start telling it." She wet the gauze with the peroxide and gently dabbed at the cut on his cheek.

"It was because of you."

She stopped her dabbing and looked at him. "Me? Why?"

"He said he came back to LA to take you away with him."

Gillian closed her eyes and sighed. "He was up here spouting that same old story earlier, he said some things he shouldn't and I slapped him hard enough to give him a bloody nose."

Mac started to laugh and cringed, it hurt for him to laugh. "So that's why his nose was red."

"Here put this gauze on your cheek." Gillian handed him the wet gauze and lifted up his grey t-shirt. She hissed through her teeth when she saw the kick marks on his ribs. "Oh God." She touched one of the big red patches gently. "Just hold still Mac I want to see if that moron broke anything."

She put her hands on his sides and began probing his ribs; this made him flinch whenever she hit a bad spot. "Sorry, I know this probably hurts but just hang on, okay?"

"I'll try." She hit a tender spot and he cried out a little.

Gillian finished her probing and sighed. "Well the good news is nothing is broken, the bad news is you are going to be sore for at least a week or two."

"Are you okay MacGyver?" Pete suddenly appeared at the end of the couch.

"Yeah Pete, I'm okay." 

Gillian began to clean the small cuts that were on his arms. "What did you do about Michael?"

"I sent him packing; I'm tearing up his resume and throwing it in the trash."

That was something she was glad to hear. "Good, he always has been nothing but trouble."

"It was more than just what happened downstairs Gillian; I had other reasons to send him packing."

"Like what?"

Pete sat down in the loveseat. "He lied on his application; he had some convictions a few years ago for misappropriations of company funds. The Phoenix Foundation has a very strict policy about dishonesty in any shape or form." Pete watched as Gillian doctored his friend. "Why don't you take him home Gillian, I'm giving you two the rest of the day off."

Mac shook his head. "It isn't necessary Pete, I'm fine." He sat up and got a pain in his side, he put his hand there. "Okay so maybe I'm not so fine."

Pete stood up. "That's what I thought, take him home Gillian."

Gillian nodded and helped him stand up. "My thoughts exactly."

MacGyver was lying on his good side, the covers were up to his waist and his eyes were closed. Gillian came into the bedroom with an ice pack, she saw him with his eyes closed and she couldn't help but smile. 

"Aww what an angel."

She sat down on the bed and touched his hair. "Mac, I have an ice pack for your ribs."

He opened his eyes. "Just stick me in the freezer."

Gillian laughed. "I'm not going to put you in the freezer." She went to the bathroom and came back with a towel; she draped it over his side so the ice pack wouldn't sit directly on his skin. "This is going to be very cold; I just want to prepare you."

"Go ahead."

She put the ice pack down on the towel and Mac gasped. "Man that's freezing!"

"I know but it will help make your bruises feel better."

"Great, it'll make my bruises feel better but will it cure the pneumonia the cold will give me?"

Gillian laid down beside him and covered him partially with the blanket. She felt terrible that he had been beaten up because of her. "I'm sorry Mac, this is all my fault."

"What makes you say that? You weren't the one throwing me through the glass doors."

"I know but he was probably angry after we fought and went after you."

"Why what did you tell him?"

Gillian moved closer to him. "I told him that he was too late, he had his chance and blew it. You and I were together now."

"He said he was going to take you away with him and there wasn't anything I could do about it and that I was some blue collar guy that couldn't offer you anything but what was in my pants."

Gillian was instantly angry and she sat up. "He said _that?"_

Mac moved a little and his bruises ribs reminded him of their presence. "Now just take it easy Gillian, I think we both have lost our tempers enough for one day."

She sighed and laid back down. "Sorry, he just makes me so furious, waltzing back into my life acting like nothing happened and we can just pick up where we left off."

"Well he's gone now and you don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Thank God for that."

She put her head down on his pillow and touched his damaged cheek gently. "Your poor face, that glass did a good job."

"It could have been worse."

Gillian lifted her head and kissed his cheek gently. "Poor Baby."

Mac had gotten pretty quiet; he realized that something Michael said had a small grain of truth in it, he really didn't have anything to offer her. "Gillian?"

"Yeah?" She was stroking his hair, trying to make him feel better.

"I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay."

"Do you think that Michael was right?"

"About what?"

"About me not having anything to offer you."

"What?" Gillian sat up. "Of course I don't think he was right."

"Well I do."

She shook her head. "MacGyver, is that what you think I'm in this for? A fancy house or big car or summers in the French Riviera?"

"And how many of those things do I have to give to you?"

Gillian was hurt; she looked at him with disbelief. "How many of those things have I asked for? Is that what you think of me? That I'm some gold digger only out to line her pockets?" She got off of the bed and left the bedroom.

Mac sighed and closed his eyes. "Gillian…" He put his hand on the ice pack and threw back the covers, he slowly got up. "Gillian." He heard the sound of the front door slam and he sat back down on the bed. "Damn."

Gillian was behind the wheel of MacGyver's Jeep, he had loaned it to her since she didn't have a car of her own. She drove down to the Marina and parked the little dark grey Jeep in front of the white wooden bridge that connected the dock to the parking area. It was late afternoon and the sun was dipping lower into the sky. She crossed the little bridge and sat down on the edge of it, looking out into the bay. The wind was starting to pick up and it played with her red hair. She turned towards the right and looked at the buildings that were there, only a few blocks away. The tall mirror like building amongst the huge steel ones was the Regency. Michael was in one of those rooms and she thought about everything that he had said. 

There was a time when she would have given anything for another chance with Michael. She had been in love with him and their break up had been one of the most painful times in her life with the exception of the death of her parents.  She would have given anything to be with him again and now he was back in her life.

_He's a nobody, what do you see him? Gillian had not given Michael an answer; the truth was she didn't have one. She sighed heavily and rubbed her hands over her eyes, she spread her fingers a little and Mac's houseboat came into view. She uncovered her face and looked at the little grey wooden structure._

_What do you see in him? Gillian closed her eyes and thought about MacGyver, when his handsome face came into her mind her heart started to beat hard, that was her answer. She got up and crossed the little bridge; she got back in the Jeep and headed for home._

MacGyver was sitting on the back porch. He had taken off his ice pack and simply had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He was thinking about Gillian and what he had said to her, if he could kick himself for it he would. What he had said was not only wrong but completely untrue; Gillian had never asked him for anything. The words Michael had used were repeating over and over in his mind.

_Is that what bothers you MacGyver? What can you possibly offer her?_

Michael was right, what did he have to offer her? Mac sighed and leaned back against the chair. He wondered where Gillian was and if she was ever coming back. He could picture her with Michael and the image of that in his mind upset him. The idea that he could never see her again made his heart ache. _What do I have to offer her? Mac thought to himself, the answer suddenly came to him, like a frying pan to the head. He carefully got up and went back inside._

Gillian was standing at her bedroom door; she was looking at the form lying in her bed. MacGyver was on his side again, his eyes closed, it looked as though he was asleep.

"Mac?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her, his face was passive. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Where did you go?"

"I drove around."

He stretched out his hand to her. "Come here."

Gillian walked over to the bed and kicked off her shoes, she climbed onto the bed. She took his hand and he carefully sat up.

"I'm sorry Gillian, what I said was wrong and stupid. Something that Michael said has been floating around in my head. He asked me if it bothered me that he could easily give you the life that I couldn't. He asked me what I could possibly offer you. After you left I sat outside on the back porch trying to answer that question. I think I finally have the answer."

Gillian swallowed hard. "What is the answer MacGyver?"

He looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand. "My heart, it's the only thing I have and I want to give it to you."

She reached out and touched his cheek. "Michael asked me something today too; he asked me what I saw in you. After I left here I wanted a place to think so I drove down to the Marina. I was sitting on the bridge looking out into the water. I kept thinking about what he had asked me, I didn't answer him because I honestly had no answer to give. I did a lot of thinking when I was out there and now I think I know."

"What's the answer?"

Gillian swallowed hard. She was a little scared; she looked into his eyes and started to cry. "I have the answer Mac but I'm afraid, the last person I said it to broke my heart and I don't think I can go through that again."

MacGyver knew what she was trying not to say. "You don't have to say it Gillian."

She wiped her face with her hands. "But I want to say it Mac, it's what I feel."

MacGyver nodded his head. "Okay."

Gillian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She closed her eyes and thought about the fight she had with Michael. _He's a nobody Gillian, what do you see in him? She thought about the terrible words he had said that earned him a bloody nose. Her courage went up and she opened her eyes. "What do I see in him? The answer is very simple." The fear began to ebb and with it came a soft look in her eyes and small smile on her lips. "I love you MacGyver, that's the answer."_

Mac still had a few doubts about whether or not Gillian was going to go back to Michael, but her answer made that question turn to dust and blow away. He put both hands on either side of her face. He kissed her, but not like he had in the past; it was long, deep and full of emotion. When the kiss ended and their lips parted he crushed her to him, not caring if it hurt his bruised ribs. 

"I love you too Gillian."  
She heard the words clearly. He said them in her ear, his voice was scarcely about a whisper. Gillian buried her head in his shoulder and held him.

MacGyver still had her in his arms; he laid back against the bed. He moved the wrong way and his ribs sent him a sharp pain that went up his side. He gasped loudly and cried out in pain, putting his hand on his side.

Gillian heard him gasp. She lifted her head and saw he had his eyes squeezed shut and he was breathing funny.

She sat up and rolled him over, his whole side was purple.

"Oh God." She got off of the bed and went to get his ice pack, it was in the freezer and she grabbed it. She got a towel out of the bathroom and wrapped it around the ice pack. She put it on his side and held it there.

"Gillian."

He was still breathing funny and she could see the panic on his face. "I know MacGyver but you have to calm down, just settle down and the pain will lessen."

MacGyver closed his eyes and tried to relax, after a few moments the pain went down, he opened his eyes. Gillian was stroking his hair, she saw him open his eyes. "Better?"

"A little, that ice really helps."

"I know, Mac I want you to do something for me. I want you to try and take a deep breath, if you can't then I think you should let me take you to the hospital. Michael's expensive shoes might have broken something after all."

MacGyver slowly increased his breathing until he took a deep breath; it hurt but he was able to do it. Gillian smiled, she was relieved. "Good, he didn't break anything, you're just bruised."

"I'd like to bruise him."

She started to laugh. "Actually I think you did, you might have broken his nose."

"Now you are just trying to cheer me up."

Gillian stretched out on the bed beside him and stroked his hair. "Did it work?"

"A little."

"What can I do to cheer you up?"

MacGyver smiled. "Well I do have an idea, but I'm afraid that right now it would probably do more harm than good."

"Okay what?"

"It involved me showing you the rest of my outsides, remember?"

Gillian nodded. "I remember." She put her head down on his pillow and traced her hand down his face. "We have plenty of time for that; right now I just want you to heal, okay?"

"Okay." 

Gillian pulled the blanket up and covered him with it.

The next morning the couple went to work and MacGyver slowly walked into Pete's office. He was a wearing a dark green t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Normally he wore two shirts, a t-shirt with another one over it but under the circumstances he just had on the t-shirt.

"Good Morning."

Pete watched his friend and shook his head. "Morning, well you look wonderful this morning."

Gillian had put a band-aid on Mac's cut cheek. She also gotten an ace bandage and some tape and had wrapped Mac's right side; it made breathing a little easier but he felt like a mummy.

"Thanks that makes me feel a whole lot better."

"How are ribs?"

"Sore, and I have more tape than a Post Office on my side." Mac carefully sat down in a chair. 

Pete shook his head. "Such school yard shenanigans are not your style MacGyver. I want you to level with me, why were you and Michael Pershing slugging it out?"

MacGyver looked at his friend, his could see how serious Pete was, he was waiting for an answer.  "All right, I'll tell you."

"This is just between us Mac, okay?"

He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Yesterday Michael sat down at my table. I just didn't buy that his reappearance after he left Gillian 8 years ago was just a coincidence. I asked him what he was up to and he said that he had come back for her and that there was nothing I could do about it."

"Sandra said that you didn't punch him first but you grabbed him first didn't you?"

"Yeah I grabbed him; he said that Gillian was the one that got away. Pete I could tell that he didn't really care how much he had hurt her before, I told him that she had moved on and that she didn't need him to come back and hurt her again."

"And that's when he punched you?"

Mac nodded. "Right." He sighed and shook his head. "I know that I shouldn't have lost my temper and grabbing him was the wrong thing to do."

Pete could understand why MacGyver had been provoked and he was also protecting Gillian. "I think I can understand why you lost your temper. Michael was threatening someone you care about."

"It still doesn't excuse it Pete."

"No, but it does explain it and I probably would have done the same thing if an old boyfriend showed up and started making trouble for someone I was in love with." Pete stared straight at MacGyver, waiting to see his reaction. MacGyver stared back, he didn't disagree with Pete and this made him smile.

"Just don't go flying through any more glass doors, okay?"

MacGyver nodded. "You got it, and can I make one more suggestion?"

"Sure."

"I think you should tell security to keep an eye out for Michael."

Pete creased his brow. "Think he would try and come back here?"

Mac sighed, he thought about the kind of man Michael Pershing was. "He seemed determined Pete, he might."

Gillian was down in the lunch room, she was getting a cup of hot tea. Sandra and a group of her secretarial comrades were all huddled around a table. The group of young women were talking about the previous day's events. There was absolutely no trace of the fight except that the glass doors were replaced with wooden ones. Gillian was adding a little bit of honey to her tea, she heard their whispering voices and when she turned around the conversation abruptly stopped. She knew they were probably talking about her and MacGyver, after all a good portion of the Phoenix Foundation employees had not only see the fight but saw Gillian helping MacGyver to her office. 

"Good Morning Gillian." Sandra called out and waved her over.

Gillian sighed and walked over to the table. "Good Morning Ladies."

"You look lovely Gillian, I like your outfit."

She was wearing a short black skirt and a maroon knit shirt. "Thanks Sandra."

One of the other secretaries was a woman named Jessica Montiego; she looked to be of Spanish descent, with her dark eyes and shiny black hair. She gave Sandra a raised eyebrow, as if telling her she was going to do or say something. "So Gillian, how is MacGyver doing?"

Gillian had a sip of her tea and stirred it a little more. "He's fine Jessica, a bit sore and bruised but okay."

Jessica smiled widely. "Bruised huh, I bet that made him nice and submissive."

The women all started to laugh, except Gillian. She wasn't amused at all. Sandra saw that Gillian wasn't laughing. "Come on Gillian it was just a little joke."

"I don't like jokes, not when they are about MacGyver."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "So it's true then, you and MacGyver are seeing each other?"

All of the women huddled closer together; they all were waiting anxiously for her answer. 

Gillian sighed and shook her head. "I can't answer that Jessica."

"Why not?"

"Because it's really no one's business but MacGyver's and mine."

Sandra looked at Gillian. "But we all saw-"

"I don't care what you saw, I know you all and most of the people that work here saw what happened yesterday but that doesn't mean that you or any of them is entitled to know the story."

Gillian exhaled deeply. "I know that I haven't been here very long, not even 6 months, but I do think of all of you as friends. You are also very intelligent women, I'm sure you know the answer to that question. I'm also sure that you knew even before you saw that fight, after all, I have heard some things going around."

Jessica hung her head for a moment. "We consider you a friend Gillian."

"Then don't you think that MacGyver and I are entitled to privacy?" She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "You all wanted to know, fine I'll tell you. The answer is yes, MacGyver and I are seeing each other." A small smile came to her lips. "Mac is a very sweet guy, he's kind, caring, protective, as you all saw and he's loving. We just want to be left alone so we can live our lives and be happy." Gillian started to walk away, she had said her peace.

"Gillian…"

The young woman turned back around. "Yes Sandra?"

She got up from the table. "We're sorry Gillian, we never meant any harm."

"I know, its okay."

"You're right, you both are entitled to privacy. We won't talk about you anymore, we promise."

All of the woman nodded and this made Gillian smile. "Thank you, we appreciate it and I'll tell Mac that you all were concerned about him."

Gillian started to leave again when her name was called out once more. "Yes?"

Sandra smiled wickedly. "Can we ask you just _one question?"_

Gillian moved closer to the table. "All right, you all can ask me one question, and you better make it a good one because you only get this one."

"Give us a moment will you?"

The woman all huddled together and after a moment or two they all sat back down. Sandra, the spoke person for the group, stood up. "Gillian, we all discussed this and came up with a question."

Gillian wanted to laugh, Sandra sounded so official. "Okay, what's the question?"

The young woman cleared her throat. "We want to know, what is it like to kiss MacGyver?"

This time Gillian did laugh, she covered her mouth with her hand briefly. "_That's what you want to know? What's it like to kiss Mac?"_

Sandra nodded. "Yes that is what we want to know."

Gillian thought about it for a moment, she wanted her answer to be good yet not give too much away. She leaned down and all of the curious women also leaned in. "You know how he has those thin yet full lips?"

"Yeah we know, we've seen them."

Gillian grinned. "Well, they are very soft, and they work _very well and that is all I'm going to say."_

All of the women expressed their disappointment as Gillian stood back up and left.

Gillian walked into her office; she was still chuckling over what had happened downstairs. The moment she stepped through her door, every cell in her body cried out that she was in danger. Her office door slammed and she heard the click of the dead bolt. Before she could turn around a pair of hands was around her, one around her mouth the other around her waist.

"Guess who Gilly?" 

She knew who it was in an instant and a cold shiver of terror ran down her spine. Michael's voice was right in her ear. "I'm back for good and no one is going to stop me."

Gillian's mind was racing, she had to think of a way to get help. She spotted the phone on her desk, now all she needed was a way to get to it. Michael had a tight grip on her and she needed to break free.

"We belong together Gilly." 

She remembered her tea and she slung it over her left shoulder. The burning hot liquid hit Michael in the face, he let go and covered his eyes. Gillian saw her chance; she dove across her desk and grabbed the phone. Michael recovered and saw her lying across her desk; he reached out and grabbed her legs.

"No you don't!" 

He started to pull her back towards him, Gillian reached out towards the base of the phone and her finger slid across the main intercom button. "_MacGyver!" _

She still had the receiver in her hand and her voice echoed through every floor and office in the building.

Mac and Pete were in his office when they heard Gillian's voice, Pete raised his head. "What was that? It sounded like-"

Mac's eyes grew wide. "Gillian." He got out of his chair fast and Pete followed him.

Michael dragged her back and rolled her over. She was still holding the receiver and tried to hit him with it, he got a hold of it and looped one end around her neck and the other around the receiver.

"Think anyone is going to help you?"

He twisted the receiver and it caused the black cord to tighten around her neck. She tried to pry it lose with her fingers but she couldn't, her air was disappearing.

MacGyver tried the door to Gillian's office but it was locked, he pounded on it.

"Gillian?" He got no answer.

"Is it locked?" Pete was right behind him.

"Yeah do you have the key?"

Pete shook his head. "It's only to the knob, not the dead bolt, it's on the inside."

Mac put his shoulder against it but the door didn't even move. He put his whole body into it and his ribs screamed out in pain, he grabbed his side.

"Mac, let's _both try it."_

Pete stood beside him and the two shoulders began pounding against the door.

Gillian could hear MacGyver and Pete on the other side of the door, she had to do something. Michael was looking down at her with a look of pure hatred; he was smiling coldly as he watched the life start to slip out of the young woman's face. She reached out and grabbed for his eyes, it was all she could think to do. She raked and clawed at his eyes. He loosed his grip on the receiver and she brought her knee up and hit him in the stomach.

"Bitch!" He let go of the receiver and hit her with the back of his left hand, this caused her to fall off of the desk, she hit the floor. The sudden rush of oxygen caused her to cough, and she took the cord off of her neck.  Gillian was lying on her side trying to catch her breath, her throat was burning. The area around Michael's eyes was bleeding; he saw her lying on her side coughing. He moved away from the desk and stood over her smiling.

"Things could have been the way they were, but oh no you had to take up with that loser."

Gillian looked up at him, she wanted to say something but her throat was hurting too bad.

"All I wanted was to make things up to you Gillian."

She shook her head at him. "You can't…its over." Her voice was almost non existent but Michael still heard her, the words she said only angered him more.

"No!"

She turned to try and crawl away but he grabbed her by the forearms. He turned her and hauled her to her feet. "It's not, do you understand?"

He was shaking her with each word he said. They were face to face this time and she lifted her knee and hit him dead in the crotch. He hunched over a little and she curled her fist into a ball and punched him. He still had a hold of her, she didn't hit him hard enough and he shoved her hard. They were standing near the wall of windows, Michael's shove sent Gillian right into one, her body shattered it and she fell face down, the glass from the window raining down on her like confetti.

The two men heard it and that stopped their efforts to bust down the door. That sound only frustrated MacGyver, his shoulder was throbbing. There had to be another way to get that door open. Pete was out of breath. "What are you doing? Come on."

"Pete the only thing we're going to do is hurt our shoulders more." He looked around saw there was a bust of Beethoven sitting on a marble pedestal. It was at the end of the hall, near Sandra's desk. Sandra was a huge Beethoven fan and the Phoenix Foundation had given her the bust and the pedestal as a gift for her 5th year of service. Mac ran down there and carefully set the bust down on the floor, he tried to lift the pedestal but couldn't.

"Pete get down here and help me."

Pete moved as fast as he could. "What are you going to do with this? If you break it Sandra won't be happy."

Mac looked at him. "Battering ram."

The stout man smiled. "Good idea, that door won't stand a chance with this."

"Grab the other end."

Pete bent down and got a good grip on the bottom; the two men lifted the snow white pedestal and hurried down the hall with it.

Gillian slowly opened her eyes; the back of her head was pounding and for a moment she didn't know where she was or what was going on. Reality quickly came back to her when she lifted her head and saw Michael.

"You're awake."

She tried to move but she couldn't, her body felt like it was made of lead. There was glass all over her back that jingled like wind chimes every time she tried to move.

"Aww can't move? That's too bad."

Gillian closed her eyes for a moment. She kept telling herself she wasn't going to pass out, she had to hold on. She couldn't let Michael win, not again. She opened her eyes and got up on all fours, she could feel the glass sliding down her back and hitting the backs of her legs. Michael was suddenly standing over her, a leg of either side, he bent down and helped her get to her feet.

The door to her office burst open and MacGyver and Pete came charging in. Michael saw them and moved his arm from her waist to around her neck. They were standing in front of the broken window; the glass was a sparkling sea at their feet. Mac saw the mark on Gillian's left cheek, this made him angry but he knew he had to keep his cool. He couldn't do anything to antagonize Michael.

"Come on Michael, let her go."

Gillian was looking at the two men, her eyes were pleading for them to help her.

Michael shook his head. "No, she's mine, you can't have her."  His other hand was in his pocket and he pulled out a small pistol.

Mac closed his eyes for a moment. "Just put the gun down and we can work this out."

Pete nodded. "Right, we can, put it down before someone gets hurt."

Michael laughed. "Work it out? How? Do you think she is going to take me back?" 

Gillian tried to pry his arm from around her neck but he squeezed tighter. "Will you?" He shouted into her ear and shook her.

"So what are you going to do Michael? Shoot her?"

Michael extended his arm, pointing the gun at MacGyver. "No, I'm going to shoot you."

Gillian saw the gun and the idea that he was going to break her heart again angered her. She couldn't just stand there and let Michael kill MacGyver. She started to wiggle and Michael shook his head.

"Oh no you don't!"

He moved her closer to him, now her whole body was directly in front of him; the only thing that wasn't was his extended arm. Gillian watched as he pulled the hammer back. She looked at MacGyver, he was only a few feet away, she hoped that wasn't too far. She took a deep breath; she lowered her head and threw it back as hard as she could. It slammed into Michael's forehead and dazed him, he stumbled back a few steps through the empty window frame. Gillian could feel they were moving backwards, she stretched out her hand toward MacGyver. 

Mac saw what was happening; he lunged forward grabbing her hand. Michael still had his arm around her neck. The momentum of falling combined with his weight was too much; he lost his hold and fell. The only thing that kept Gillian from joining him was the strong grip that MacGyver had on her hand, he pulled her and they both fell to the floor. 

Pete rushed to the side of his two friends. "Are you both all right?"

MacGyver's ribs mildly complained as he got to his knees. "Yeah."

Pete checked on Gillian, she was breathing hard and her eyes were closed. She was laying on her stomach. "Gillian are you all right?"

She rolled over onto her back and Pete saw the mark on her face and her purple neck. The bruises were a round pattern that was obviously made by the phone cord. "I don't know." Her voice sounded like she had laryngitis.

Mac moved closed to her and gently touched her neck, he looked at his friend. "We better call the police and the ambulance."

Pete nodded and looked for the phone, he saw it on the floor and walked over and picked it up. Mac turned her face towards him. "Open your eyes Gillian."

Her lids raised and she smiled when she saw him. "Nice catch."

"Don't talk you're only going to make your voice worse."

"Too late." She sat up slowly and touched her back of her head, to her surprise there was no cuts; she thought for sure the window would have cut it. She turned and saw the window. She hung her head, she thought about what had happened and started to cry. 

MacGyver heard her and he moved around her so that they were face to face. "Gillian."

She looked up at him, there were tears rolling down her face. She put her arms around him and hugged him.

Mac was kneeling, he kissed the top of Gillian's head; it was just below his collar bone. He was rubbing her back with one hand, hugging her head with the other. The sound of sirens in the distance grew louder.


End file.
